Report20 Aug 2009


Event Report - Men's 5000m - Heats

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(L-R) Spain's Jesús España, USA's Matthew Tegenkamp, Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele and Great Britain's Mohammed Farah compete in the first of the men's 5000m heats in Berlin (© Getty Images)

The prerace favourites qualified quite easily in the men’s 5000m heats. The only news was Ali Abdosh of Ethiopia, a sub-13 minute runner this season, losing his shoe during the first kilometre of the first heat and former steeplechasing great Saif Saeed Shaheen of Qatar not making it to the final.

Heat 1 -

Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, who already won the 10,000m here in Berlin, qualified with ease from the first heat winning in a fast 13:19.77. Japanese Yuichiro Ueno was the early leader reaching 1000 metres in 2:39.99 with Ali Abdosh out of the race already during the first kilometre. Abdosh lost his shoe and then put it back on which took him about 15 seconds which of course was too much.

Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar took the lead to clock 5:23.80 for 2000m with Kenyans Vincent Chepkok (3000m 8:05.77) and Joseph Ebuya (10:48.52 4000m) taking the next intermediates. Bekele had taken the lead before the bell which was reached in 12:25.31 and the multiple World champion no problems whatsoever during the final lap.

American Matt Tegenkamp, who was fourth in Osaka two years ago, also looked at ease finishing in 13:19.87 with Briton Mo Farah in third clocking 13:19.94. The next two straight qualification spots went to Chepkok (13:20.24) and Spain’s Jesus Espana (13:20.40). Each of the the five qualifiers by time came from this first heat lead by American Chris Solinsky 13:20.64 for sixth, Joseph Ebuya 13:22.41 for seventh, Morocco’s Anis Selmouni 13:22.95 for eighth, Eritrea’s Teklemariam Mehdin 13:23.48 for ninth and Australian Collis Birmingham in 13:23.48 for 10th.

Shaheen finished 11th in 13:26.35.

Heat 2 -

The runners in the second heat did like so many before them and even though they had the advantage to know what pace they should be running to qualify by time, they ran much slower than the first heat. Samuel Tsegay of Eritrea lead at 1000m in 2:48.53, eight and a half seconds slower than heat one.

Moses Kipsiro of Uganda was the next leader and he speeded things up a little too reaching 2000m in 5:28.15 and 3000m in 8:17.55 with the kilometre between 2000m and 3000m too slow. Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, the 2003 champion, lead at 4000m clocking 10:55.18 and although the last kilometre was faster there was no way the times in the first heat could be reached.

Kipsiro had taken the lead again at the start of the last lap and kept it too winning in 13:22.98, a season’s best. Kipchoge was second in 13:23.34 followed by Qatar’s James Kwalia in 13:23.57. The reigning champion from Osaka, Bernard Lagat of USA also qualified in style finishing fourth in 13:23.73 and Morocco’s Chakir Boujattaoui followed closely taking fifth place in 13:23.83 just dipping to the line before Bekana Daba of Ethiopia in sixth place with 13:23.86 and out of the final.

Mirko Jalava for the IAAF

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